Hay unloading apparatus



July 8, '1947. M. o. souzA HAY UNLOADING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 28, 1945 INVENTOR. Manuel 0. Souza MI W July 8, 1947. M. o. SOUZA HAY UNLOADING APPARATUS Filed May 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Manuel 0. Souza Patented July 8, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,423,732 HAY UNLOADING APPARATUS Manuel 0. Souza, Newman, Calif.

Application May 28, 1945, Serial No. 596,125

3 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for unloading hay from a wagon and transferring the same to a barn for storage; my principal object being to provide an apparatus and system for the purpose by means of which an operator on the ground can control the transfer of a fork load of hay fromthe wagon and thence into the barn at any desired point in the length thereof in a very quick, ready and economical manner, and without the need of any hoist mechanism on the ground with an additional operator, as is now usually employed. Time and manpower are therefore conserved with my improved system.

The apparatus includes a carriage-mounted hay fork of conventional type, a track running into the barn under the roof thereof and on which the carriage runs, and an electrically driven hoist at the far end of the track to actuate the carrier and the fork. In'connection with the above units it is another object of my invention to provide for the instant control of the motor of the hoist from the ground so that the carriage and fork may be stopped at any desired point.

A further object is to provide a safety switch arrangement in the motor circuit which, while normally closed, will be automatically opened as the carriage reaches its rearmost limit of travel along the track without the operator on the ground having stopped the motor.

I have also provided an improved type of electric hoist unit which is very compact and which enables the cable to run in a bath of oil as it is wound onto the hoist drum or paid out. Also this hoist unit is so arranged that during the winter or at other times when the hoist is not in use for considerable periods all parts thereof are protected from the weather.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive "device and yet one which" will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure l is a longitudinal outline of my improved hay unloading apparatus, together with a diagram of the electric control circuit.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal elevation of the safety switch and its actuating unit.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional plan of the switch on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the electric hoist.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the same.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the apparatus includes a conventional form of track I which extends from the front of the storage barn 2 to the rear end of the same just under the peak of the roof, being supported from the roof by suitable hangers 3.

A conventional type of carriage 4 rides on the track and supports a cable 5 from which an ordinary hay fork 6 is suspended. The cable extends along and below the track to the rear end of the same and then over a pulley l to a reversible electric hoist, indicated generally at 8, which is preferably disposed some distance below the track and secured against adjacent frame studs or uprights 9 of the barn. The specific construction of this hoist will be described later.

Fixed on the track adjacent its rear or inner end is a bracket ID on which a safety switch, indicated at H, is mounted. This switch includes an insulation casing I2 having a longitudinally movable stem l3 mounted therein, the stem extending lengthwise of the track. The forward end of the stem carries a taper head l4 adapted to pass between and connect contact strips l5 interposed in the main circuit I6 of the motor ll of the hoist 8. A compression spring l8 about the stem between the rear end of the casing and an insulation head IS on the rear end of the stem tends to shift the stem back and open the switch. This switchopening movement of the stem is normally prevented by the engagement of the head I9 with an arm 20 projecting upwardly from a shaft 2| slidable through the bracket I0 and extending forwardly and lengthwise of thetrack to a fixed connection with a slide 22 mounted on the track in the path of rearward movement of the carriage 4. A heavy spring 23 on the shaft between the bracket l0 and the slide holds the latter in its foremost position or so as to maintain the switch stem l3 advanced and in its switch closing position. It will thus be seen that if the carriage is pulled back by the operation of the motor I! until it strikes the slide 22, as indicated in Fig. 2, the slide will be retracted, moving the arm 20 back from the head l9 and allowing the spring l8 to act on the stem so as to open the switch and thus stop the motor. In addition this unit of course also provides a cushion stop for the carriage, preventing any sudden halting thereof which might damage the same or snap the cable. 7

A manually operated control for the motor is provided in the form of a reversible hand switch 24, which is preferably of the type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 579,511, filed February 24, 1945. This switch is interposed in the circuit of the motor and is adapted to be held in the hand of the worker directing operations from the ground in front of the barn and adjacent the wagon beingunloaded.

Flexible leads 25 arranged as a Single cable extend from the switch to the motor. While a reversible motor and a reversible switch may not be essential, the reversible motor enables the carriage and fork to be returned to the ground with much less drag on the return pull cable 5a than would otherwise be the case. 7

The hoist 8 preferably comprises a rectangular cast housing or frame 26, the opposite sidewalls 21 of which at the top are formed with the lower half 28 of bearingsfor the shaft 29 of the hoist drum 30 about which the cable 5 is wrapped. The

upper halves of the bearings are formed in re movabl caps 31 which extend the full length of said sidewalls and preferably have convexly curved top edges, as shown in Fig. 4, whichclear the end flanges of the drum 3:]. An oil retaining well 32, preferably concentric with the drum, extends between the sidewalls 27- from the top thereof. A removable cover plate 33 is secured on and extends between the caps'3l, havin a slot 34 for the passage of the cable and which may be covered in winter so as to protect the cable when the latter is disconnected from the carriage and is disposed about the drum under the cover. When this is done theentire interior mechanism of the hoist within the surrounding housing 26 will obviously be protected from the weather.

The electric motor I1 is disposed within the housing under the well 32 and has a pinion 35 on one end of its shaft which meshes with a gear 36 secured on the shaft 29 just outside the housing; the gearing being enclosed in a suitable case 31, All parts of the hoist are thus protected from contact with exterior objects, while being readily accessible for servicing when necessary,

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth therein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon 4 a hay supporting member, a carriage movable along the track from which the member is suspanded, a cable hoist connected to the carriage for moving the samealong the track, an electric motor for operating the hoist, a circuit for the motor, a manual switch in the circuit, another normally closed switch in the circuit, and means functioning upon arrival of the carriage at the rear end of the track to open said other switch.

2. A hay storing apparatus comprising, with a storage structure an overhead track in said structure extending rearwardly from the front thereof, I a hay supporting member, a carriage movable along the track from which the member is suspended, a cable hoist connected to the carriage for moving the same along the track, an electric motor for operating the hoist, a circuit for the 'motor, a manual switch in the circuit, to open and closethe same, another normally closed switch in the circuit, and including a contact stem extending lengthwise of the track and disposed for rearward movement to open such normally closed switch, a spring tending to so move the stem, a bracket mounting the normally closedswitch in a fixed position with the track, a shaft'extending lengthwise of the track forwardly from a point rearwardly of the stem, a slideon the track to the forward end of which the shaft is connected and disposed in the path of rearward movement of the carriage, an arm on and rigid with the shaft overlying and normally engaging the rear end of the stem, and a compression spring about the shaft acting to advance the shaft and slide and normally maintaining the stem in a switch closing position.

3. A hay storing apparatus comprising, with a storage structure an overhead track in said structure extending rearwardly from the front thereof, a hay supporting member, acarriage movable along the track from which the member is susswitch in the circuit, means tending to open the same, and means normally holding said last named means from functioning and including an element movably mountedon the track in the path of rearward movement of the carriage and whose movement by the carriage releases the holding means. 1

MANUEL O. SOUZA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,072,747 Freese Mar. 2, 1937, 2,254,285 Harris et a1 Sept. 2, 1941 

